”LED lights are the future” says Kirkland Environmental Committee member

Kirkland Environmental Committee member Guy Désiel demonstrating various types of light bulbs which can be used in homes nowadays. According to him, light emitting diodes (LED) are the future of lighting. Photo by François Lemieux.

Light emitting diode (LED) bulbs are the future for home lighting options according to the Kirkland Environment Committee which held a series of information booths on environmental concerns on April 13 at town hall.

Even though the initial spending may be higher than your regular incandescent or compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), common knowledge now has it that LED bulbs have a longer much longer lifespan which would justify their purchase in the long run.

Estimates vary on the lifespan of a LED bulb. Natural Resources Canada’s website states that LED bulbs “have a much longer life span than regular bulbs. Some LEDs can operate for up to 100,000 hours, depending on the quality of the diode and the application.”

All the while, depending on the source, regular incandescent bulbs have a normal lifespan estimated between 1,000 to 1,200 hours. According to Kirkland Environmental Committee member Guy Désiel, the LED does not convert light energy into heat which saves on consumption and causes the bulb to remain cool compared to a regular bulb.

“We must be aware that energy production is expensive. We need to find technological solutions that will help save energy, solutions that give the same result with less energy,” he said.

Désiel says that on a typical energy bill, 10 per cent goes out to lighting purposes. A LED light bulb uses only 10 per cent of the energy used by an incandescent (regular) light which would lead to a 9 per cent saving in energy cost on one’s home bill were the consumer to resolve to using LED lights only.

“If it costs you $2,000 per year of energy in your home on natural gas and electricity, and you cut down 9 per cent it's interesting dollars you’re putting in your pocket,” he said.

Kirkland Environmental Committee member Guy Désiel demonstrating various types of light bulbs which can be used in homes nowadays. According to him, light emitting diodes (LED) are the future of lighting. Photo by François Lemieux.